


Comment Section Woes

by procrastin8r



Category: Tiny Meat Gang (Band)
Genre: Anxiety, Drabble, Established Relationship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26994772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/procrastin8r/pseuds/procrastin8r
Summary: Cody is feeling anxious after posting his newest YouTube video, but Noel is always there to comfort him.
Relationships: Cody Ko/Noel Miller
Kudos: 30





	Comment Section Woes

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for fun, I don't actually ship Cody or Noel, they are real people with real lives and real relationships, and I respect that. Their online personas are being used as characters here.

Cody impatiently reloads the website, watching the views on his newest video rise with every click. He usually does this for a while until his anxiety dies down. The comment section is a different matter. 

In the beginning it’s flooded by bots with lewd profile pictures, a hundred people that somehow all think they're the first viewer, and of course, the trolls that subscribe just so they can be the first ones to hate (but hey, they’re still subscribed, so it doesn’t really matter). About ten minutes later, the comments consist of timestamps, references to dead memes, and occasional anti-humor as people vie for the treasured spot of top comment (for about a week). 

Cody rarely pins or hearts any comments. Honestly, after the first half hour, he stops checking them. He used to be more interactive, but now his anxiety gives him a lot of trouble. The mindless haters don’t really matter, especially since his fans are always quick to shut them down in the replies, but the running gags about his age or appearance are starting to get to him. He knows it’s a joke. He knows his fans love him. He knows they don’t mean any harm, and if they knew how they were affecting him, they’d stop. But when it’s been years since the joke started and half of the comments on his videos are still making fun of him (and get three thousand likes each), it’s a bit disheartening. 

Cody knows he’s being stupid and pathetic and overreacting, but his anxiety catches onto those words and twists them into something else, something that keeps him up at night. He doesn’t tell anyone. He doesn’t want to embarrass himself. But Noel can always tell when something’s wrong, and is quick to step in. 

“Hey babe. Done with editing?” He greets, coming into the bedroom and stretching. Normally Cody would drool over the way his tight black shirt clings to his muscles, but right now he’s too stressed out to notice. 

“Yeah, I just posted it.” 

“And?” 

“I don’t know. It’s not the best, but it’s not the worst.” 

“I’m sure it’s perfect; you’ve spent a week on it,” Noel admonishes, upset to see his boyfriend doubting himself. 

“Yeah, yeah, I guess,” Cody mumbles, scrolling through his phone. The bed creaks next to him, and then Noel is resting his chin on Cody’s shoulder. 

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” 

“Oh, um, just the comments.” 

“Cody.” 

“Whatever, Noel.” 

“Lemme see.” 

“Fine,” Cody relents, handing the phone to Noel. He pokes around for a bit before smiling. 

“You’re trending! I’m so proud of you, y’know that?” He presses a quick kiss to Cody’s cheek, who pulls away and crosses his arms. 

“Why?” 

“What do you mean, ‘why?’” 

“What’s there to be proud of? I just make reaction and commentary videos with shitty jokes and-” 

“Cody-” 

“-I’m really too old for this, right? And-” 

“Cody.” 

“-what am I going to do after this is all over? I can’t be a YouTuber forever, I-” 

“ _Cody_.” Noel grabs Cody’s chin and turns his head. “Listen to me. I’m so proud of you, baby. You work your ass off to make people laugh and brighten their day. You bring awareness to controversial things and more than _five million_ _people_ care about your channel. You’ve met celebrities and travelled the country. You owned Jake Paul without even trying. You’re doing a great job. I love you so much,” Noel promises, ending his speech with a soft kiss. 

Cody leans against him, cuddling into his arms. “Thanks, Noel. I love you too.” 

“‘Course you do,” Noel smirks, kissing the top of his head. 

Cody is silent for a moment, then voices his remaining concern. “What about the future, though?” 

“You graduated from _Duke,_ Cody. You’re all set. No ‘back-end tech developer’ here,” Noel smiles, earning a punch to the shoulder. He laughs, making Cody smile. “And besides… we’ll figure it out together.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this instead of reading my sociology textbook. Constructive criticism is appreciated.


End file.
